Little Falls transcript., 1887-05-20
he Saliva ti0n Army,

Robert Van Brunt, lately = promi
lnentS mennber Of the Salvation Army.
y under sentence Of death at Roches-
ter for the murder of young Roy.
From an Inter view with reporter Of
the DEM ocrat this extract is. made:
IAN Brunt, you seem TO place lit.
tie reliapce upon the final result Of
this hoped for appeal to the higher
courts, andyou seem to clearly realize
that your life Is nearly ended, and
that the dreadful event can at most
be postponed bnt q little. Now, with
these grave convictions in your mind,
IWish You would tell me something
about the true inwardness Of this Sal
vation Army to which you bel onged. 8, =
Van Brunt, who is only 23 years OF
age, neditated q moment, eyed his
questioner curicnsly. and then laugh,
ed q bit IN 9 peculiar manner to him
self. ID III - t=se7.ass% .Gz %-.-,.s
"I think" !" he said, after little, ~
think there are a few good people vet
In this army; mean people who real.
ly want to benefit mankind, but tell
you most OF the soldiers, and officers
particularly, are thinking more of
womank1nd, and the face of the man.
who in due course of the law had less
than ten days before his death on the
gallows, took on a wicked leer, which
startled even the experienced inter-
viewer, who was mentally. but none
the less unerringly, nothing the testi-
mony Of one who knew that he was
facing almost certain If not immediate
death. .~sf>@
II ought to know this Salvation
Army" continued the condemned
murderer, his telltale face adding
strange emphasis to his candid words
Il ought to know them; / have been
there myself and the officers have
talked with me about it.
''There is q class of young girls
drawn into the meetings." he went on,
"who are easily enough Influenced by
the officers, and are controlled by the
officers and men for their own pur.
poses, and those are the girls they are
after. l don't know as I can just ex.
actly describe the influence they have
over them, but it just controls them
and lots Of them have this influence" :"
"Perhaps they mesmerize them,"
quietly suggested the newspaper man.
eyes," said the slayer OF Roy and
the suitor of his sister, II put it all
down as something like that.''
"You know this is the general char.
acter of these soldiers you associated
with, then?" persisted the newspaper
man.
EYES," I know it from my own expe.
rience, and | have talked it all over
with the officers.
II imagine you mean your observa.
tion, not your personal experience"
"Yes, mean my observation" and
again the uncanny, salacious expires.
sion stole over the features of the man,
and the visitor did not regret that his
disagreeable task was nearly ended,
cyan Brunt," said he, '.from what
you know Of this army, and from the
position in which you find yourself,
what do you think of the general effect
OF the practices of this Salvation
Army?"
Ihe witness was a competent one,
and it was the last question the inter
viewer ever expected to address to
Robret Van Brunt, and the answer
came with a rapidity that carried
conviction with it:
Il told you somegood people get in.
to the Salvation Army, but the en-,
thusiam wears off in two or three
weeks, and they get to be as bad as
the rest. If the Salvation Army al.
together was swept from the earth it
would be better;better for everybody"